Fiat Chrysler's Sergio Marchionne said the partnership with Waymo that produced the autonomous Chrysler Pacifica wouldn't be monogamous.

When Fiat Chrysler Automobiles linked up with Google spinoff Waymo last year, CEO Sergio Marchionne hinted it wasn’t going to be a monogamous relationship – and he wasn’t kidding. FCA today announced it will also pair up with erstwhile rival BMW, as well as tech firms Intel and Mobileye to work together on the development of autonomous vehicles.

The announcement is the latest in a series of high-tech tie-ups linking traditionally competing carmakers, as well as a mix of tech giants and ambitious start-ups. Just last week, for example, Intel entered a new alliance with Toyota, dubbed the Automotive Edge Computing Consortium, which is aimed at driving more data into and out of tomorrow’s smart and autonomous vehicles.

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“In order to advance autonomous driving technology, it is vital to form partnerships among automakers, technology providers and suppliers,” said FCA Chief Marchionne. “Joining this cooperation will enable FCA to directly benefit from the synergies and economies of scale that are possible when companies come together with a common vision and objective.” (more…)

Waymo recently launched a pilot ride-sharing program in Phoenix using autonomous Chrysler minivans.

Two new automotive technologies are likely to not only transform the way we get from Point A to Point B but impact virtually every aspect of our daily lives, according to a new study from computer chip giant Intel.

In the process, autonomous vehicles and ride-sharing will create a market for new goods and services likely to reach $800 million by 2035 and then climb, by 2050, to a staggering $7 trillion – more than a third the size of the American economy last year. And those figures don’t even include the actual cost of the new generation of vehicles that will dominate, perhaps even completely take over, U.S. highways.

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We are heading towards a situation where “we humans become riders, instead of drivers,” said Doug Davis, an Intel vice president and co-author of the new study which looks at what the chip manufacturer is calling the “passenger economy.” While there are many unknowns, Davis says that, “At the end of the day, this presents a huge opportunity.”

U.S. computer chip and processor giant Intel will acquire the Israeli smart car tech firm Mobileye in a deal valued at $15.3 billion.

Supplying such automotive giants as General Motors and Volkswagen AG, Mobileye is one of the key producers of the onboard vision systems that anchor current advanced driver assistance systems – as well as tomorrow’s autonomous vehicle technology. The acquisition will help position Intel as a major player in the development of smart and driverless car systems.

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“The acquisition of Mobileye completes a virtuous circle of growth,” Intel CEO Brian Krzanich said during a conference call on Monday morning, adding that he sees a natural fit between the two companies, combining the “eyes of the autonomous car with the intelligent brain that actually drives the car.”

Delphi plans to show off its new CSLP system featuring new Intel computer chips at the upcoming CES in January in Las Vegas.

Pretty soon your car may be “intel inside” as Delphi and Mobileye N.V. are partnering with Intel to use the company’s computer chips for its in-development autonomous vehicle system.

The new system, which is called Centralized Sensing Location and Planning, is expected to be available by 2019, according to Delphi officials. Intel is slated to deliver the chips late next year. Able to handle processing more than 12 trillion operations a second, they are the final piece to autonomous puzzle.

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“We think they will be a great supplier for us,” Glen DeVos, vice president of Delphi’s services business unit told Automotive News. “For us, it’s a big step forward. It will allow us to accelerate development.” (more…)

Mercedes, for one, is betting connected car technology will be as important to many potential A-Class buyers as the engine under the hood.

Interest in the connected car is steadily growing as consumers demand to have internet and mobile phone services at their fingertips, even when they’re behind the wheel.

Intel Corp., which now considers automobiles a major source of demand for smart devices, plans to spend $100 million between now and 2014 on an initiative designed to spur innovation and product development to significantly enhance the functionality of connected cars in the years ahead.

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“In today’s mobile world, personal computing touches every part of consumers’ daily lives while at home, at the office and on the road,” said Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini. “By broadening our research efforts, academic and capital investments and opening the Automotive Innovation and Product Development Center, Intel is deepening its understanding of how people interact with their cars and how Intel innovations can enhance the automotive experience.”